Canada's only NCAA football program closing its doors

Simon Fraser University has been unique to the NCAA landscape because, since 2010, the Red Leafs have been the only NCAA football program in Canada.

Because SFU can no longer find a good conference home, though, the school has announced that it will be disbanding its football program.

Simon Fraser had been playing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (NCAA Divison II) since 2010 but following the 2021 season, that conference stopped sponsoring football. SFU did manage to jump to the Lone Star Conference (NCAA Division II) for the 2022 season as a football-only member, but the relationship between the school and the Lone Star Conference has not been renewed.

It makes sense, too, since that conference is mostly made up of teams from Texas. Simon Fraser University is in Burnaby, British Columbia, which is 2,201 miles away from Dallas, Texas -- just for context

"This is a difficult decision, and not one taken lightly," SFU president Joy Johnson said in a statement, per ESPN. "With the recent announcement that the team has not been invited to continue in the Lone Star Conference, we do not have a conference to play in beginning in 2024. The ongoing uncertainty creates an unacceptable experience for students.

"The university has carefully considered all available options and as a leadership team we concluded that football is no longer a feasible sport for SFU."

The Simon Fraser athletic department was initially formed in 1965. The football team played American rules in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1965-2001. The Red Leafs played Canadian rules football from 2002 until heading to NCAA Division II in 2010.